


Needs More Sugar

by yuletide_archivist



Category: The Dresden Files (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-18
Updated: 2007-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 02:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1626704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for natmerc</p>
    </blockquote>





	Needs More Sugar

**Author's Note:**

> Written for natmerc

 

 

Beta - Thanks for your help!  
Special Request - Harry, Mai, and Bianca all locked in a dungeon.

***********

My grandmother used to say something about lemons and lemonade, or so my dad always told me.  
Since I don't like either, I never really got the point, but life can definitely be sour, or sweet. The  
trick is figuring out which is which before you drink it.

***********

I always get an itchy feeling at the base of my spine on days I'd be better off staying in bed. For  
once, I thought about listening. My head pounded, and my mouth was dry as dirt. Blearily, I opened  
my eyes and realized the problem; I wasn't in bed.

This wasn't good. "What the hell?" I muttered, hoping I wasn't alone. No one answered, but  
chains rattled. It took a long moment to realize that the chains were hooked to me. My wrists  
exactly. "Nice manacles."

Leaning my head to the side, I looked up to where the chains attached to the ceiling. The movement  
made my head pound, so I didn't stare. My arms already ached from being pulled over my head, but  
standing up was a bad idea.

This was no damn fun.

Instead of trying to force my legs up, I looked over my lovely accommodations. Someone had gone  
all out. The place reeked of high class. If you were born in the fifteenth century.

"Bob would be appalled."

There was good news here. A silver lining. My legs were free, and manacles weren't much of a  
challenge, not really. The door, oak with iron hinges, might not even be locked. It was possible.  
Optimism is a good thing. With a terrible grunt, I got my legs underneath me and stood. Well,  
leaned was more like it. There was a big, sturdy wall behind me and no good reason not to use it.  
My shoulders thanked me for standing. My legs shook like noodles, mad as hell. I can never get  
ahead, and my head wanted to roll right off my shoulders. Taking several deep breaths, the pain  
didn't diminish.

Shutting my eyes, I reached for just enough magic to pop off the manacles. Nothing. Absolutely  
nothing. Pain sparked behind my eyeballs, and I wasn't sure whether it was the headache blocking  
me or the lack of my bracelet or - I looked up - the cuffs were bespelled. A few other possibilities  
flitted through my sore head, and I was sorely tempted to slide back down to the floor.

"This day keeps getting better."

Of course, shooting of my big mouth like that was a bad idea. You'd think I'd learn. The door  
slammed open, my head nearly exploded, and the bad guys were hauling another limp body to a set  
of manacles that were on the wall across from me.

"Hey!"

Not one of the goons even glanced at me.

"Over here!" I waved my arms. Still no reaction. They hung the poor sap up, letting him slide to rest  
on his butt, arms cuffed over his head. Looked like I wasn't going to be the only one with sore arms.  
A black hood was over my cellmate's face, but as they stepped away, they took it off.

I landed on my ass with a thump, mouth hanging open like the worst idiot, and breathed one word,  
"Mai."

Hours later, my jaw was still ajar. My brain didn't seem capable of processing the information, and I  
kept shooting small glances at the door. Morgan was going to come through it any minute, spitting  
fire and chopping heads. But it didn't happen, and I was still agog. This - this wasn't right.

Licking my very dry lips, I watched her stir. "Mai?"

"Dresden, I am going to rip out your entrails and dine on them!"

I pressed my shoulders more firmly into the stones and hoped she changed her mind before she made  
the first slice. "Uh, well, okay, but can you get us loose first?"

The glare I received peeled off a layer of skin. Or it would have, if she hadn't been wearing the same  
bangles as I was. She rattled her chains and growled softly, and I decided to stay quiet.

"How's the head?" I was never good at being quiet.

Mai looked up, arched her back, and I swear the stones around us groaned. A little splatter of dust  
fell on my head, but the chains held. They'd probably been forged by a demon and soaked in the  
blood of innocents or some other ritual that I really didn't want to investigate closely.

"I will end them all for this insult!" Mai was her usual gracious self.

"Go get 'em, girlfriend," I muttered, but she heard me well enough and sent another scorching look  
my way. She didn't like me - not at all, never had. Wanting to shuffle my feet, I tried to withstand  
her glare. "Um, Mai, you know where we are?"

She mumbled a few things about entrails, gore, and various body parts being severed but didn't  
answer the question. It was okay. I got the message. She was clueless.

There was one thing I knew for sure - whoever had done this was a moron of the highest caliber. Mai  
really would shred them, if they were lucky. She was a very vindictive woman.

Shuffling my feet, I twisted my neck, trying to loosen up muscles that were screaming. At this rate,  
when I did get loose, my arms would drop right off.

"Dresden, how long have you been here?"

I leaned my head back, and yes, my head still hurt, searching for a comfortable position. "A while.  
Long enough that my arms hate me."

"Helpful, as usual." Mai had majored in sarcasm at wizard's school. "Have they fed you?"

"Not that I noticed." The mere idea made my stomach complain. "Last thing I remember was  
sleeping. You?"

"I was resting also. Our enemy is strong enough to break my wards, and I would've thought that  
impossible."

It was more than worrisome. "Or it's someone who knows us both ... intimately." My face blushed as  
she tried to kill me with her brain, but she knew I was right.

She wrapped her hands up around the chains and pulled. Dimly, I could sense her trying to use her  
magic, but it was more like a Bic lighter than the flamethrower she usually had at her disposal.

"The ceiling is not as protected as the chains. Exert your remaining powers in that direction."

"Yes, ma'am." I always looked like a fool around her, and now she thought I was a slacker also. All  
I'd done was hang around, waiting for, um, something?

The ceiling protested, and she gave a tiny grunt as more dust settled around us. "When I am gone,  
you are going to die from starvation."

"Thanks." Pushing aside my fatigue, sore muscles, and general irritation, I got a good grip on the  
chains and started at the bottom. Magic, while it looked easy, wasn't. First, I focused on my feet,  
seeking a firm grounding. Up, up, up, I reached. "Let me go," I whispered, using my words to  
further shape the tiny trickle of magic that I still had at my disposal. For a moment, I envied Mai her  
Bic lighter because I was working with a match.

"Damn," I muttered and pulled with all my strength. Mai did the same.

There was a long moment of nothing, and then a crack sounded over our heads. I covered mine - it  
was sore enough - and sure enough, part of the ceiling came raining down, but it missed us, hitting  
the floor hard and sending up a cloud of dust.

Gawking was rude. My father had made that clear at a very young age, but even he might've taken a  
look. It just wasn't every day that very, very shapely legs dropped through the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" I yelled up at the woman, swinging in the proverbial wind. She must've been in the  
cell above us, and now she was hanging half into ours.

"No, I'm not, you dickhead!"

The voice was familiar, niggling at my mind, and I stared, watching the bright red dress ride up  
perfect, oh, so perfect thighs. Mai growled something unintelligible, and I cocked my head to get a  
better look. Bob would insist on an accurate re-telling later, if there was a later.

"I am going to drain every drop of blood from your worthless bodies!"

My mouth shaped into an O, and I had the answer to my question. "Um, Bianca? This isn't our  
fault! Much." I whispered the last word. It was, but my good friend, the vampire lady with a wicked  
overbite, didn't need to know that. "Are you okay?"

"Harry?"

"Yup." I waved at her back end. "Mai is down here too. Anyone with you?"

"No." Bianca kicked her legs, trying for a foothold, but it didn't look as if she'd be succeeding, not  
enough ceiling left there.

"Who would do this to us?" Mai didn't sound as if she was talking to me. "Part of me is quite certain  
that this can be laid at your doorstep, Dresden."

"It's not always my fault!" Protesting was a matter of form. She was, unfortunately, right. "Bianca,  
did you catch sight of who's behind this?"

"A shadow, nothing more, and then I fell unconscious." She was still wiggling around, and I was  
trying not to look.

Mai crossed her chains, leaned back, and braced her feet against the wall. "Dresden, again."

Telling her that I was out of juice was a bad idea. Instead, I nodded and got a good hold on the  
chains. My hands were tired, like the rest of me, but I would try. Mai would leave me hanging  
otherwise. I turned my head and spat out a glob of dust. When Bianca and Mai found out who had  
done this, there wouldn't be anything left for me. It was a comfort, and slowly, I cleared my mind.

"Now!" Mai's voice cracked like a whip across my body, and I pulled with everything I had left. It  
wasn't much, and hanging limply in the chains after the magic arced out of me wasn't my proudest  
moment.

"Oh, good job," Bianca said dryly, and I almost chuckled.

Mai looked up, frowned, and suddenly covered her head. I took the hint and did the same. Blocks,  
big and small, rained down on us, and, it was no big shock that it hurt. Bruises. I was going to have  
bruises and maybe a contusion or two. Was that blood dripping? One of my arms abruptly dropped,  
and I screamed like a little boy. When the dust settled, Bianca was still hanging above our heads,  
and I was pressing my lips together firmly so I didn't whimper.

"Well, that was quiet." I tried to rub some dirt out of my eyes, still tethered by one arm. The other  
one was furious at me, hanging limply. "Think they know we're trying to escape?"

Bianca laughed, but Mai was awfully silent. Blinking away more dirt, I saw the reason why. She  
was gone. Like that. Poof. The door was flat, and I listened for the screams of people - demons -  
having their guts ripped out. Funny, it was awfully quiet, except for the noise of the rubble settling.

"Bianca, you got a Plan B?"

The lack of an answer, and her deep growl, wasn't reassuring at all. Half-heartedly I tugged at my  
other arm, and shock blew through me when more ceiling came down, along with my chain.

"Harry?" Bianca was loud. "Harry!"

"I'm fine, really." I tried to get up. My legs weren't cooperating. "I'm getting up. Seriously." The  
manacles were still on, but lying on the filthy floor was so nice. Shutting my eyes, I searched for  
some energy. Nothing. "Mai's gone."

"Bitch cut and run. No surprise." Bianca wasn't Mai's biggest fan. "You need to hurry, Harry."

"Yeah, yeah." Crawling over the rubble, I dragged my chains. "I'll head upstairs and see what I can  
do."

Bianca didn't answer for a moment. "Be careful."

That was easy to promise, but hard to do, and I crawled faster, struggling to my feet when I cleared  
the door.

"Weird," I muttered. There was no joy at being free, only a certainty that our capture and detainment  
had served a purpose, and it probably wasn't a good one. Being angry at Mai would serve no  
purpose. She'd gone to discover the problem, instead of staying to drag me to safety, and I couldn't  
blame her.

It took long minutes to find stairs, and when I did, they looked impossibly tall. The chains dragged  
me backwards, and halfway up, I had to sit down hard. I allowed myself ten deep breaths and then  
crawled the rest of the way. There was another oaken door, and I shoved it open with my shoulder.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Look what the cat dragged in," Bianca purred.

I tried to laugh, but mostly it was a cough. There was no way to reach her. The floor underneath her  
was gone. "Bianca, turning into a bat now would be really cool."

"Keep your day job." Bianca started swinging slightly. "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

Lying to her wasn't an option. We'd gone through too much together. "Give me a minute. I'll think  
of something." No, it wasn't a lie. Not much of one. I sat down, put my back to the doorjamb, and  
took a good look at my manacles. They were heavy. I was sure of that.

"Neutralize the spell on them," Bianca said. "Think, Harry!"

"I'm trying!" My brain sputtered and kicked around a few facts, but cold iron spells were  
notoriously hard to counter. I could use some help from Bob about now. He knew everything, not  
that his ego needed a boost. "What's this all about, Bianca?"

She knew. She must know.

"The usual. Blood. Mayhem. More blood." Her voice was flat, emotionless. "Someone needed some  
breathing room."

"Mai will kill them." I matched her tone, but I had the feeling she was right _and_ wrong.  
"Hope you weren't attached."

"Not all that much." Bianca laughed, but it was humorless. "Water under the bridge."

The words made me blink. "Water." I nodded. It might work. "Good idea." It was. Running water  
neutralized magic. It should work.

I had to piss anyway.

Fumbling, I got my fly open and found the necessary equipment. My aim wasn't exactly spot on, but  
I got the job done, and the manacles dropped off with a noisy clatter to the floor.

"Harry, you are not peeing on me."

Laughing was a bad idea, and she growled when I started giggling. Blame it on fatigue. Blame it on  
sore muscles. "Okay. I'll leave." Rubbing my wrists, I stretched my back and looked at the expanse  
between us. Even one step towards her would be dangerous.

"Harry!"

"I'll be back. Give me a sec." Stumbling, groaning, I went in search of a bucket, a hose, something. I  
hated to go far. Bianca was extremely vulnerable. Nothing. What I'd give for a janitor's closet. This  
abandoned building had nothing but trash. I did find a big cup, but it wouldn't really help. "Damn," I  
muttered and made my way back to her.

"About damn time!" She didn't look happy. "Fine! Pee on me!"

"While I appreciate your faith that I can make that distance, it's not happening." I opened my pants  
again and hoped I had some left to put in the cup. Not much. I stared at it and hoped for some luck.  
A tuck, a zip, and I got as close as possible, staying against the wall and moving slowly. What was  
left of the floor creaked and groaned. Taking a deep breath, I aimed high. From the disgusted look on her face,  
she might bite me for this. I threw it and muttered a small spell - hey, I was tired - to give it some extra zing.

"You realize if this works-" Bianca dropped out of sight. With my luck, she was probably halfway  
out of the building by now. There was no time to collapse. I had to find out exactly who was  
destroying the city. Four steps later, Bianca tucked her shoulder under mine. "Let's go kick some  
ass."

"Can we stop for burgers first?" I leaned against her heavily and tried not to protest that she was  
killing my shoulder.

The chilly, polluted Chicago air felt great in my lungs, and there was a slight mist falling. I opened  
my mouth to catch a little. It was only slightly better than drinking from the gutter, but I'd take it.

"Harry, sit down. I'll get someone." Bianca helped me sit on the curb.

"Go." I didn't argue. She was gone so fast that I missed it. Vampires could do that. She'd probably  
stop for a drink along the way, but I didn't want to know about it. Putting my head in my hands, I  
took several deep breaths.

It wasn't long before a familiar car whipped around the corner, lights flashing. Murphy threw open  
the door and strode over to me. "Harry?"

"Present and accounted for." I tried to get up, and she helped me the last few inches. "I'm fine.  
Really."

"You look like hell."

"It was the drug, and the hanging around for hours." For some reason, she didn't laugh at my humor.  
"Oh, and there was the small matter of a ceiling falling on me."

"That would explain the dirt and the blood." She let me lean harder. Never have I been more grateful  
to ride in a police car and sip stale coffee. She drove, but I caught all the little glances she was  
shooting my way. They had hospital written all over them, but that wasn't happening.

There was only one thing to ask. "Anything weird tonight?"

"Power outages, ten foot waves off the lake, homeless people besieging the police station, and  
someone painted a thirty foot pentagram on the side of the Sears Tower: business as usual."

Chicago's a great town, full of interesting people and places. "Drop me off at the Sears Tower."

"You're in no shape to do anything!"

"Probably won't have to, but take me there anyway." I noticed she turned in the right direction at the  
next stop. Grabbing up her purse, I rummaged for Tylenol - three - and food - an old breakfast bar -  
which I ate quickly. It almost made the coffee taste good.

"I think there are some donut crumbs in the seat crack."

Settling back, I shut my eyes. "I'll lick them out later."

It only took two minutes - I might've fallen asleep - to get there, and my arms begged me to go lie  
down instead of opening the door. I opened the door and took a long stretch to loosen my muscles  
while staring up at a huge, golden pentagram.

"Well?"

"It's a good thing." I shrugged. "Positive energy is pouring off it." Extending my senses, I soaked in  
as much as I could. It felt wonderful.

Murphy snorted but didn't argue. She looked up and down the sidewalk, doing her cop stuff. "Are  
you going to tell me about it?"

There was a flicker of movement, might have been anything, but I knew better, and I moved to step  
in front of her. She might punch me for it. She was like that.

"Dresden."

"Morgan." A smile always irritated him. "How's your boss?"

Morgan didn't blink. Murphy moved to step around me, and I caught her by the wrist. She glared  
but subsided, and Morgan looked pointedly at the car.

"Give us a minute, will ya, Murph?"

She didn't stop glaring, but she went, and the instant her back was turned, Morgan made a large,  
sweeping gesture at the side of the building. The pentagram blinked once and was gone from sight.

"It's still there." Really, I was talking to myself. I could feel its power throbbing, protecting. I'd lived  
here for years and failed to notice a huge pentagram on the Sears Tower? Some wizard, huh? "It's  
always been there."

"Someone violated the age-old wards tonight, and this was the result." Morgan had this way of  
saying few words, but they were always bad ones. "Forces are moving against you - us."

"And this is news how?" Shaking my head in disgust, I lifted my hands to warm them by the strength  
of the invisible pentagram. "Are you finally pulling your head out of your-"

"What the hell?" Murphy shouted, interrupting me. She stomped back over to us. "What did you  
do?"

"Why do you always blame me?" I turned just enough, and Morgan was gone with his usual  
trickery. "I didn't do it!"

"Right." Murphy rolled her eyes. They taught a class on it at the academy, and I was sure she'd  
gotten an A. "Get in the car. Nothing to see here."

With a small shake of my head, I strolled to the building and put my hand flat against it. Someone  
powerful was awake in the city. Someone who didn't like me. All I had on my side was a vampire, a  
cop, and a glowy building. Sweet.

"A warning or a promise?" Murphy asked softly.

"Both."

*********

Keeping the door open, I leaned into the wind and sipped my coffee. I'd woken up in my own bed,  
feeling somewhat rested. The day might go downhill from here, but I'd take chances.

The traffic cleared, and I had no trouble spotting the woman in the daring, red dress across the street  
from me. She blew me a kiss, staying well out of the morning sunshine. I blinked, and she was gone.

"Tell me again about her legs."

"Oh, Bob." I laughed and shut the door.

*********

So in the end, I got the sour _and_ the sweet, and I was reminded that you can't always duck  
the fruit that life throws at you. Hey, a man can get sick of lemonade, and there was one thing I  
knew for sure: there were more lemons headed my way.

*********  
the end

 


End file.
